After the Fire

Will Hill

Oct 2018 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

An Edgar Award finalist

A gripping and unforgettable story of survival after life in a cult, inspired by the survivors of the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, 1993

The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.

Before, she lived inside a fence with her family. After, she's trapped, now in a federal facility.

Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. After, there are too many people asking questions, wanting to know what happened to her, trying to find out who she really is.

Before, she thought she was being protected from something. After, people are telling her that now she's finally safe.

She isn't sure what's better, before or after, all she knows is that there are questions she can't answer, and if everything she's been told is a lie, how can she know who's telling the truth now?

Suspenseful and moving, After the Fire is perfect for readers looking for

• cult books and stories
• young adult historical fiction
• binge-worthy teen thrillers
• an intense, ripped-from-the-headlines plot
• compulsively readable books that keep you hooked until the very end

Praise for After the Fire:

"Genuinely different...thrilling and spellbinding!"—Patrick Ness, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The gripping story of survival and escape...It will keep you up late until you get to the very end."—Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of Truly Devious

"A heartrending portrait of a young girl's struggle to survive a domineering religious sect and the resilience of the human spirit; this belongs on every YA shelf." —School Library Journal

Ratings and reviews

This book brought to mind the real life actions of a number of cults that received plenty of media attention years back. The story is reveled thru the eyes of a young survivor with flashbacks as she deals with the after effects of the fire that killed, injured and rescued them. It's an emotional replay as the healing process begins. This author has done a great job of balancing the action and building the world where they are ruled by fear and fire and brimstone. Lies and deceit, cruel punishments and things people especially kids should never have to deal with. Ridiculous fanaticism, misguided individuals, religious manipulation. As a believer myself it always amazes me how people can twist, destroy, abuse, in the name of God. Great read from an author who is new to me.

After the Fire is a narrative about the psychological manipulation in cults and the aftermath of such brain-washing in young kids. The main character, Moonbeam, during the process of therapy, for the purpose of rehabilitation and an ongoing investigation, narrates the story of her life in a Doomsday cult, and the way it worked, as well as the events leading until the raid by federal agencies that led to a violent shootout. Told in present time with her current life inside the rehab facility, she discusses the events, mostly non-chronologically, with her therapists and an FBI agent sitting in during her sessions. Moonbeam’s narration starts from a place of rigid paranoia ingrained in her from Father John’s teaching about the corrupt Government, to a place where she is able to lay her guilt bare. The process of her slowly gaining trust in her therapist as well as the Agent who is looking for the truth, is a development that lets her slowly look back on the events and re-evaluate them with open eyes. While living inside the compound itself, her Faith was shaking, but a true exorcism of the Father’s teachings came about only when she finally is free from the influence of the cult. The events and the life inside the cult are horrifying, yes, but the plot handles it maturely without using it for shock value. At the same time, it doesn’t tone down the violence and misogyny in the cult, nor the perversion of religious teachings into a cauldron of hatred that they daily immerse themselves in. Some things seem too impossible for us living in a free world, but Moonbeam makes us understand the psychology behind Father John’s charm, how he preyed on their fears, on their insecurities, how he separates them from the outside physically and mentally, making them fear stepping out at all. The story, while centered on Moonbeam and her life also has interesting perspectives through secondary characters; through another survivor Luke, we see how some wounds are too far gone to heal, and how toxic masculinity and religious extremism brew a fledgling monster; through Honey, we see a young girl who rejects what she is fed, and develops her own mind; and through Moonbeam’s mother, we see a person who tries to do the best under the circumstances, but still can fail when not given an adequate support system. In short, a terrifying look into the psychology of indoctrinated beliefs, and the epidemic of violence spreading from religious extremism. Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Sourcebooks Fire, via Edelweiss.

This book is amazing from start to finish! I love the way the story unfurls, starting at the event that ended everything and the details slowly emerging as the main character opens up in the aftermath. The perspective given on cult psychology and how it impacts those in and out of it's grasp is absolutely enrapturing. Not to mention the twists that having an unreliable narrator lends to the story as she tries to protect herself and her siblings. I couldn't put this book down after I started it.

About the author

Will Hill grew up in the northeast of England and worked in bartending, bookselling, and publishing before quitting to write full-time. Will lives in east London. Learn more at willhillauthor.com.